Vercingetorix

Vercingetorix (72 BC – 46 BC), chieftain of the Arverni, led the great Gallic war against Roman imperialism in 53–52 BC. His name in Gaulish means "over-king of the marching men"; the "marching men" would now be called "infantry". His name was pronounced, in Gaulish (and therefore in Latin), (wer-king-gheto-rīks).

History

Between 58 and 53 BC, Julius Caesar had dominated the Celtic tribes beyond the Provincia Narbonensis (modern day Provence) through a careful divide and rule strategy. His methods also included bribery of various Gallic tribal chiefs using Roman luxuries such as wine. Previous attempts at revolt, for example that of Ambiorix in 54 BC, had secured only local support, but Vercingetorix, whose father, Celtillus, had been put to death by his own countrymen for seeking kingship over all of Gaul, managed to unify the Gallic tribes against the Romans and adopted more modern styles of warfare.

Vercingetorix began raising his forces in the winter of 52 BC, while Caesar was in Cisalpine Gaul. He faced some initial resistance from the nobles of the Arverni, including his uncle Gobanito, but raised an army of the poor, overthrew his opponents and was hailed as king. He made alliances with other tribes, and having been unanimously given supreme command, imposed his authority through harsh discipline and the taking of hostages. He adopted the policy of retreating to natural fortifications, and undertook an early example of a scorched earth strategy by burning towns to prevent the Roman legions from living off the land.

Caesar and his chief lieutenant Titus Labienus lost the initial minor engagements, but captured the tribal capital at Avaricum (Bourges), killing the entire population of 40,000. The next major battle at Gergovia resulted in a victory for Vercingetorix because Caesar was too anxious and had attacked instead of besieging and starving the city in standard Roman fashion. When Vercingetorix thought Caesar was in retreat (which he did not intend because it might have ruined his career) he abandoned the cautious tactics he had adopted before and attacked head on. Due to losses he had to retreat and moved to another stronghold, Alesia.

In the Battle of Alesia, however, Caesar was more patient and built a fortification around the city. However, because he himself was surrounded by the rest of Gaul, and Vercingetorix had summoned his Gallic allies to attack the besieging Romans, Caesar built another outer fortification against the expected relief armies (resulting in a doughnut-shaped fortification). The relief came in vast numbers: an estimated 100,000 soldiers (although Caesar claimed there were 250,000). Vercingetorix, the tactical leader, was cut off from them on the inside, and without his guidance the attacks were initially unsuccessful. However, the attacks did reveal a weak point in the fortifications and the combined forces on the inside and the outside almost made a breakthrough. Only when Caesar led the last reserves into battle in person did he finally manage to prevail. This was a very decisive battle in the creation of the Roman empire.

According to legend Vercingetorix surrendered in magnificent fashion, allegedly riding his horse out of Alesia and around Caesar's camp before throwing his arms at Caesar's feet, stripping himself naked and kneeling to Caesar with a flourish. Plutarch's Lives, Everyman's Edition, 1910, reprinted 1953, (Dryden translation), vol. ii, page 551. Medieval French Historians are also partly responsible for romanticising Vercingetorix's surrender. Romancing the Past: The Rise of Vernacular Prose Historiography in Thirteenth-Century France, by Gabrielle M. Spiegel, page 143, Berkeley: 1993. Caesar provides a first-hand contradiction of this account, describing Vercingetorix's surrender much more modestly. Commentaries on the Gallic Wars, Everyman's Edition, 1953 (Trans: John Warrington) He was imprisoned in the Tullianum in Rome for five years, before being publicly displayed in Caesar's triumph in 46 BC. He was executed after the triumph, either by strangulation, or (less likely) by beheading.

Vercingetorix's birthdate is a subject of controversy. He may have been a 17-year-old teenager when he unified the Gauls against Julius Caesar's invading legions.

Popular culture

Vercingetorix appears in the Asterix series of comics, notably in Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield and Asterix the Gaul.

A 2001 French film, Vercingétorix, also known as Vercingétorix: la légende du druide roi ("Vercingetorix: the legend of the druid king"), released as Druids in English, was directed by Jacques Dorfmann and co-written by Dorfmann and Norman Spinrad, starring Christophe Lambert in the title role. It was neither a critical nor a box-office success, but did far better in Europe than the United States of America. Spinrad went on to write a novel, The Druid King, released in 2003.

Vercingetorix appeared in the 2005 HBO/BBC television series Rome, played by Giovanni Calgagno.

In Katharine Kerr's Deverry cycle of novels, set in an alternate world in which the Gauls escaped Roman rule across the sea, reference is often made to Vercingetorix as a legendary hero, although, due to language shift, he is called "Gwercyngetoric".

References

Primary sources

Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico Book 7
Dio Cassius, Roman History 40:33-41, 43:19
Plutarch, Life of Caesar 25-27

Secondary sources

Yonge, Charlotte M. (1864), "The Chief of the Arverni", in Charlotte M. Yonge, A Book of Golden Deeds, London: Blackie & Son, Ltd., n.d.

Notes

External links

A reconstructed portrait of Vercingetorix, based on historical sources, in a contemporary style.
Curchin, Leonard A. Lingua Gallica (The Gaulish Language). Retrieved Aug. 21, 2003 from http://www.classics.uwaterloo.ca/labyrinth/gallica.htm